Shadows of the Dragon God

Our story began in Suzail in the kingdom of Cormyr, when a party of adventurers were hired on by Douven Staul of the Suzail Adventurer’s Guild (a local hiring service) to map out an abandoned keep to the North outside Winterfell.

Having earned success in stopping Kalarel in Winterfell, the party has returned to Suzail to claim their sponsored Cormyr Adventuring Company Charter from Douven Staul. A letter had arrived from Fargrim Pridebane’s family, indicating that he was needed to sort out some family business, and that his brother Noxital Pridebane was coming to assist in tending his affairs here. Fargrim decided to stay with Aida (who was still being cared for by the local clerics) until such time as she could return to her family, and then be off to his family in East Rift. Drogun Doomguide decided to find adventure with Fargrim in the Southeast of Faerun, and would also be leaving the party.

The party heads west and finds more than they expected

The Company With No Name did so well on their first contract that they had their choice of assignments next. They chose to find adventure in Waterdeep, the City of Splendors far to the west on the Sword Coast. This would be a long journey by horse, for the roads to the West were poorly maintained since the Spellplague and often overgrown and riddled with danger. They accepted a quest to assist in finding a possibly kidnapped boy from a noble family in Waterdeep, and also to clear out an abandoned keep in the hills West of Cormyr that had been taken over by a tribe of orcs. A raven was dispatched to a contact in Waterdeep to inform them of their impending arrival and the party set off West toward the Stormhorns.

Zhent mercenaries have taken a town hostage.

Upon riding into Valkur’s Roar, the party is stopped at the town gate by rough looking guards in mismatched armor, demanding a toll. They are also shaking down a traveling merchant. The party steps in to assist the merchant and almost gets into a fight themselves while Noxital magically creates beer to placate the guards.

As they ride further into the center of town, it becomes clear that the town guards are out of control and do as they please. A meeting with the mayor confirms this. It seems the town had been under attack by rampaging gnolls and all manner of beasts from the surrounding countryside. The town’s own militia was ineffective against the monster. A group of mercenaries offered to rid the town of the invaders, but at a cost. Now the mercenaries “patrol” the town daily, taking what they want and generally causing a ruckus.

What happened to all the people?

Proskur was only a day’s ride West from Valkur’s Roar. The party arrived just after dusk, and found the town abandoned and silent. No dogs barked, no lanterns were lit, and there was no obvious evidence of a battle.

The first thought of everyone in the party was to leave immediately and rest further down the road in the forest. Better to take their chances in the wilderness than in a ghost town. However, a few crashes, like the sound of broken plates, were heard coming from the tavern in the town square so Xirric and Sanora went to investigate.

They found a little girl hiding in the kitchen. When asked what she was afraid of, she pointed behind Sanora to a pair of armored skeletons holding longswords, advancing toward them!

A swirling vortex of energy hides an abomination beneath the wizard's manor

When last we left our heroes (and I use that term loosely), Noxital was being held in place by tendrils of blood flowing from a large rune trap on the floor. He tried hacking at the tendrils, but two more formed and took its place. Gurt used the Wand of Cold against them, which slowed their rate of growth, but not by much. While Gurt hacked at the blood tendrils to keep them from enveloping Noxital, Noxital made an unorthodox use of a ritual to create holy beer to turn the blood into beer, (hopefully) negating the spell.

As he prepared the 5 minute ritual, the door across from him swung open and armed skeleton warriors attacked the party. The managed to fight them off while Noxital finished the ritual and turned the blood to beer, breaking the magic trap. The room held little, save for a pair of Gloves of Agility.

Further down the upstairs hallway, the party found the door to the wizard’s bedroom locked and trapped (which Sanora discovered by taking an electric shock upon trying the handle). Noxital attempted to bash the door down with Gurt’s help, though only succeeding in shocking themselves. The party had the idea of getting Splurg to open the door, since he had displayed some skill in that area previously.

The abomination falls, an evil is set free, and the paladins ride to Iriaebor

The party fought for their lives against the abomination freed from its chains. Noxital was the first to fall against the creature’s prismatic magical attacks. Sanora riddled the thing from beyond with arrows shot with surgical precision. Xirric kept the creature busy and vulnerable to his allies’ attacks, while Gurt revived Noxital and boosted the party’s attacks with his songs. Splurg reached into his bag and threw an axe at it.

Upon reviving, Noxital used a power that severely weakened the creature, turning its deadly barbed tentacles brittle and ineffective, which likely saved the party from certain doom. Sanora continued to rain arrows upon it and Xirric tangled with it up close. Splurg reached into his bag and threw a pair of boots at it. He missed.

The abomination’s wounds began to glow and steam. Xirric could hear a whisper: “Release me…” The magical vortex tossed the party around, wounding it and them. Gurt tried to insult it, but it wasn’t listening to him. Splurg reached into his bag and threw an anvil at it, though he could barely lift the thing. He missed.

The creature was badly wounded. Its wounds glowed with power and magical smoke seeped from them. Splurg reach into his bag and pulled out a giant-sized warhammer. He struggled to get it upright, and just let it fall on the abomination…

Bard Cassidy and The Asshat Kid go over Noxigurt Falls

The party, in the company of a force from Elturgard (including Paladins), took the rode less traveled to Iriaebor, working their way through the crags to Gnollfang Pass and over the river Chionthar. However, as they arrived at the rickety bridge over the river, a purple-robed member of the Cult of the Dragon came riding black dragon into the pass, and before the party could react, it had already claimed two of the fighting men from Elturgard.

The dragon swooped down into the pass, stunning a few with its frightful presence, and unleashing the fury of its acid breath on the fighters in the rear, followed by the a fire burst from the mage riding it. These enemies could not effectively be fought off in the narrow pass, so getting across the rickety bridge of the raging river was the priority.

Fire + Gunpowder = Kablooey

Having no other nautically skilled members present, Noxital claimed to know his way around a boat. Of course, in his drunken stupor, he also claimed to have invented pants. He managed to haphazardly guide the ship down river to Scornubel, but docked in a military dock and almost wrecked the ship in the process, causing major damage to the dock itself. The dockmaster has a few choice words for the ship’s “captain”, to which Noxital replied with his usual brand of tact and reserve.

He awoke a few hours and many bruises later in the city jail, the apparent loser in a fight between himself and ten of the city guard. However, hard labor in the salt mines would not be his fate. His skills as a Cleric were desperately needed on the Elturgard expeditionary force, and so it was arranged that he would work off his debt there instead. He handed his shield to the party and bid them farewell, eager to see them again one day.